Pitino and Michigan: What Might Have Been

Had Rick Pitino not changed his mind, he could have been coaching the opposing team in Monday night's NCAA basketball championship.

ENLARGE

Rick Pitino during Saturday's game.
Reuters

Pitino, the 12th-year Louisville coach, said he had accepted the Michigan job in 2001 but backed out after a blunt assessment from his wife.

Pitino had resigned as the Boston Celtics' coach and was considering interest from UNLV and Louisville when he took the job, he said. Bill Martin, Michigan's athletic director then, said Pitino never had the job because they hadn't agreed on compensation. But, Martin said, "I would have loved to have had Rick Pitino as our coach."

But in 2001, Pitino's wife said she wanted to return to bluegrass country, where Pitino had coached Kentucky to the 1996 title. Pitino hesitated, worried about abuse from notoriously intense Kentucky fans if he agreed to coach their rival.

His wife was reading a book at the time, Pitino said, that included the quote, "I'd rather live one day as a lion than 1,000 as a lamb." Pitino explained that "my wife doesn't swear," but said that in shying from the Louisville job, "You're an ---- lamb," his wife said.

Things worked out for Michigan eventually: After six years with Tommy Amaker, who didn't take the school to the NCAA tournament, Martin hired current Michigan coach John Beilein.

—Rachel Bachman

NHL Announces Winter Classic Repeat, Sort Of

When it comes to the Winter Classic, its annual outdoor game and the crown jewel of the regular season, the NHL is giving itself a do-over. This year's Winter Classic was canceled because of a lockout. But now that the NHL's owners and players have agreed to a 10-year collective bargaining agreement, commissioner Gary Bettman announced Sunday that the 2014 Classic will feature the same teams and location that the 2013 game would have: The Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings will square off at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Jan. 1.

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